pennyspoetryfandomcom-20200214-history
Alfred Kreymborg
Alfred Francis Kreymborg (December 10, 1883 - August 14, 1966) was an American poet, novelist, playwright, literary editor and anthologist. Life Youth Kreymborg was born in New York City to Hermann and Louisa Kreymborg, who ran a small cigar storeChess History, #3569, and he spent most of his life there and in New Jersey. He was an active figure in Greenwich Village and frequented the Liberal Club.Stansell, op. cit. page 83. Early associations He was the 1st literary figure to be included in Alfred Stieglitz's 291 circleEisler, op. cit. page 104., and was briefly associated with the Ferrer Center where Man Ray was studying under Robert Henri. From 1913 to 1914, Kreymborg and Man Ray worked together to bring out ten issuesChurchill, op. cit. , page 53, note 26. of the first of Kreymborg's prominent modernist magazines: The Glebe. Ezra Pound — who had heard about The Glebe from Kreymborg's friend John CournosBochner, op. cit., page 137. — sent Kreymborg the manuscript of Des Imagistes in the summer of 1913Kenner, op. cit. page 158 and this famous anthology of Imagism was published as the 5th issue of The Glebe''Churchill, ''op. cit. page 52. In 1913 Man Ray and Samuel Halpert, another of Henri's students, started an artist's colony in Ridgefield, New Jersey.Churchill, op. cit. page 51 This colony was often also referred to as 'Grantwood' and comprised a number of clapboard shacks on a bluffBrandon, op. cit. page 82 on the Hudson Palisades opposite Grants Tomb, across the Hudson River in Manhattan. Others Kreymborg moved to Ridgefield and launched Others: A magazine of the new verse with Skipwith Cannell, Wallace Stevens, and William Carlos Williams in 1915. Pound had, along with the Des Imagistes poems, written to Kreymborg suggesting that he contact 'old Bull' WilliamsChurchill, op. cit. page 52, note 20., that is William Carlos Williams. Williams did not live far from Ridgefield, and he became involved in the magazine. Soon there was a group of artists associated with the magazine. Marianne Moore came to Ridgefield for picnics, and in 1915 Marcel Duchamp moved in.Stansell op. cit. pages 99–100, Regarding Marianne Moore, she was asked in an interview whether Alfred Kreymborg was her American discoverer, to which she replied, "It could be said, perhaps; he did all he could to promote me. Miss Monroe and the Aldingtons had asked me simultaneously to contribute to Poetry and The Egoist in 1915. Alfred Kreymborg was not inhibited. I was a little different from the others. He thought that I might pass as a novelty, I guess."The Art of Poetry: Marianne Moore 1915 also saw the publication of a story in part based on a personal experience. The story was titled 'Edna' and published as Edna: The girl of the street by Greenwich Village entrepreneur Guido Bruno; the subtitle was Bruno's idea, added without the consent of the author.Kreymborg, Troubador, Chapter 12, page 79. John S. Sumner of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice raised a stir; there was a court case which led to Bruno's imprisonment. The attendant morals row drew in George Bernard Shaw and Frank Harris: Harris made an impassioned statement in court defending the publisher. Kreymborg was life-long friends with Carl Sandburg, each independently choosing to write in free verse. Kreymborg's tone-poems, or 'mushrooms', had seldom made it into print, but in 1916, soon after his move to Ridgefield they were brought out in book form by John Marshall as 'Mushrooms: A Book of Free Forms' and Williams praised them as a "triumph for America".according to Symons, op. cit. pages 122 and 127, the 'Mushrooms' had been "unpublishable", although this does not seem quite fair as the acknowledgements page thanks the editors of The New Republic, The Poetry Journal, Poetry: A Magazine of Verse; Others: A Magazine of the New Verse; The Egoist, Catholic Anthology, Bruno Chap Books, Greenwich Village and Rogue. Kreymborg spent a year touring the United States, mostly visiting universities, reading his poetry while accompanying himself on a mandolute. 1920s Kreymborg continued to edit Others somewhat erratically until 1919Symons, op. cit. page 122.; he then in June 1921 sailed to EuropeChurchill, op. cit. page 52, note 20 to act as co-editor of Broom, An International Magazine of the Arts (along with Harold Loeb)Periodicals. Contributors included Malcolm Cowley, E.E. Cummings, Amy Lowell and Walter de la Mare. The magazine lost money. Kreymborg soon resigned and the magazine ceased publication in 1924.Carpenter, op. cit. page 168. An ironic anecdote on the status of modernism: Kreymborg arranged for an aspiring artist, Fernand Léger, to create the artwork for the cover of volume 2, number 4 of BroomModern Illustrated Books. When Broom ceased publication, the original painting was left behind for the next tenants. Original works by Léger from that time period have since sold for several million dollarsChristie's in London recently celebrated a record-breaking, $104-million week and broke six world records for individual artists—the best week the London auction house has had for more than a decade - Aution Block - Brief Article | Art Business News | Find Articles at BNET.com. Kreymborg's poems appeared in The Dial in 1923.his 'Six Movements' appeared in Volume 75 No.5 (November 1923). Symons, op. cit. page 152 indicates that his work appeared in early 1921, but the only mention of Kreymborg in the contents for that period is for a comment on the forthcoming Broom in Issue Volume 70 No.5 of May 1921. In the summer of 1925, Kreymborg was staying in Lake George Village, and happened to meet Paul Rosenfeld who was staying with Stieglitz. In one late night discussion Kreymborg and Rosenfeld lamented the disappearance of various literary magazines, including Broom. Another neighbour, Samuel Ornitz appeared and offered financial backing for an annual book of new writing. Thus Kreymborg and Rosenfeld founded American Caravan, which was to be edited by Lewis Mumford and Van Wyck Brooks.Eiseler, op. cit. page 346. The Second American Caravan, was edited by Kreymborg, Mumford, and Rosenfeld; it was reviewed the December 1928 issue of The Dial. 1925 also saw the publication of his autobiography Troubador, in which Kreymborg refers to himself in the third person by the nicknames 'Ollie' and 'Krimmie'. The books also describes hisunsuccessful marriage to a girl called Maude, and then his 2nd marriage to Dorothy ("Dot") Bloom. 1930s and later In 1938 Kreymborg's verse drama for radio, The Planets: A modern allegory was broadcast by NBC and received such an enthusiastic response from the public that it was repeated a few weeks later. Kreymborg maintained a long-term connection with Alfred Stieglitz primarily because of Kreymborg's relationship with Hugo Knudsen, who invented some of the early photo-printing processes that Stieglitz utilized. Knudsen and Kreymborg both married sisters Beatrice (Bea) and Dot Bloom (respectively). Other interests Kreymborg also wrote puppet plays (his most famous being Manikin Minikin and Lima Beans), which he performed with his wife, Dot, while touring the United States. Kreymborg played chess at a professional standard,Brandon, op. cit. page 64. On 2 occasions he played and lost to Jose Capablanca, including a defeat in 1910 due to a mix-up in his end-gameChess History Note He drew a game with the U.S. Champion Frank Marshall in the 1911 Masters Tournament, but shortly afterward left the chess world after a stunning defeat by Oscar Chajes, returning to the sport roughly 23 years later. He wrote the article 'Chess Reclaims a Devotee', which is well-known in chess circles.See Chess History Note Kreymborg was very close with "Sandy" Calder. Due to his knack of "discovering" and publishing some of the most important poets during his time, Kreymborg later became president of the American Society of Composers, Artists, and Performers. Kreymborg later became a relatively conservative poet, but — according to Julian Symons — "never an interesting one" In Namedropping, Richard Elman writes a short chapter about a meeting with Kreymborg in the early 1960s.Namedropping Publications Poetry *''Apostrophes: A book of tributes to masters of music'' (prose poems). New York: Grafton Press, 1910. *''To My Mother: 10 rhythms''. New York: Guido Bruno, 1915. *''Mushrooms: 16 rhythms. New York: Guido Bruno, 1915. *Mushrooms: A book of free forms. New York: John Marshall, 1916. *Blood of Things: A second book of free forms. New York: N.L. Brown, 1920. *''Less Lonely. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1923. *''Scarlet and Mellow''. New York: Boni & Liveright, 1926. *''The Lost Sail: A Cape Cod diary''. New York: Coward-McCann, 1926. *''Manhattan Men: Poems and epitaphs''. New York: Coward-McCann, 1929. *''Body and Stone: A song cycle''. New York: Random House, 1929. *''Prologue in Hell'' (illustrated by Walter Cole).New York: Heron Press, 1930. *''The Little World: 1914 and after''. New York: Coward-McCann, 1932. *''Two New Yorkers'' (lyrics by Kreymborg; illustrated by Alexander Kruse; edited by Stanley Burnshaw). Bruce Humphries, 1938? *''Ten American Ballads''. New York: Dryden Press, 1942. *''Seven Poets in Search of an Answer'' (by Maxwell Bodenheim, Joy Davidman, Langston Hughes, Aaron Kramer, Alfred Kreymborg, Martha Millet, & Norman Rosten; edited by Thomas Yoseloff). New York: B. Ackerman, 1944. *''Selected Poems, 1912-1944''. New York: Dutton, 1945. *''Man and Shadow: An allegory''. New York: Dutton, 1946. *''No More War: An ode to peace''. New York: 1948? *''No More War, and other poems''. New York: Brookman, 1950. Plays *''Plays for Poem-Mimes. New York: The Other Press, 1918. *''Lima Beans. A scherzo play in one act (originally in Representative one-act plays by American authors, 1919, pp. 251-267). New York & London: Samuel French, 1925; Alexandria, VA: Alexander Street Press, 2006. *''Plays for Merry Andrews. New York: Sunrise Turn, 1920. *''Manikin and Minikin: A bisque-play in one act. New York & London: Samuel French, 1925. *''Rocking Chairs, and other comedies''. New York & London: Samuel French, 1925. *''There's a moon tonight; a romantic comedy in three acts, a prologue and an epilogue''. New York & London: Samuel French, 1926. *''Puppet Plays''. New York: Samuel French, 1926. *''Jane, Jean, and John: A play in one act''. New York & London: Samuel French, 1927. *''How Do You Do, Sir, and other short plays''. New York, Los Angeles, & London: Samuel French, 1934. *''The Planets: A modern allegory'' (verse play). New York: Farrar & Rinehart, 1938. Novels *''Erna Vitek. New York: A. & C. Boni, 1914. *''I'm No Hero. New York: William Morrow, 1933. Short fiction *''Edna: A girl of the street. New York: G. Bruno, 1919. *''I'm Not Complaining: A kaffeeklatsch. New York & Los Angeles: Samuel French, 1932. *''The Four Apes, and other fictions of our day''. New York: Lokar Raley, 1939. Non-fiction *''Love and Life, and other studies. New York: Grafton, 1908. *''Troubadour: An autobiography. New York: Boni & Liveright, 1921 **also published as Troubadour: An American autobiography. New York: Sagamore, 1957. *''Our Singing Strength: An outline of American poetry, 1620-1930''. New York: Coward-McCann, 1929 **also published as A History of American Poetry: Our singing strength. New York: Tudor, 1934. Juvenile *''Funnybone Alley'' (illustrated by Boris Artzybasheff}. New York: Macaulay, 1927. Edited *''Others: An anthology of the new verse''. New York: Knopf, 1916. *''Others: An anthology of the new verse, 1917. New York: Knopf, 1917. *Others for 1919: An anthology of the new verse. New York: N.L. Brown, 1920. *''The American Caravan (yearbook; edited with Lewis Mumford, Van Wyck Brooks, & Paul Rosenfeld). New York: Macaulay, 1927-1931. *''1937-1938 Annual Anthology of the One Act Play Magazine''. New York: Contemporary Play Publications, 1938. *''Lyric America: An anthology of American poetry, 1630-1941''. New York: Tudor, 1941. *''Poetic Drama: An anthology of plays in verse from the ancient Greek to the modern American''. New York: Modern Age, 1941. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Alfred Kreymborg, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Oct. 27, 2014. See also *Imagist poets *List of U.S. poets *List of English-language playwrights References *Jay Bochner, 'The Glebe' in American Literary Magazines: The Twentieth Century, edited by Edward E. Chielens (Westport, CT, and London: Greenwood Press, 1992) *Ruth Brandon, Surreal Lives: The Surrealists 1917 - 1945, Grove Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8021-3727-X. *Humphrey Carpenter, Geniuses Together: American Writers in Paris in the 1920s, Unwin Hyman, 1987. ISBN 0-04-440067-5. *Suzanne Churchill 'Making Space for Others: A History of a Modernist Little Magazine' in Journal of Modern Literature, Volume: 22. Issue: 1. 1998 *Benita Eisler, O'Keeffe and Stieglitz: An American Romance, Doubleday, 1991. ISBN 0-14- . *Hugh Kenner, The Pound Era, 1971 (Faber and Faber, 1972. ISBN 0-571-10668-4 paperback). * Christine Stansell, American Moderns: Bohemian New York and the Creation of a New Century, Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt & Co, 2000. ISBN 0-8050-4847-2. *Symons, Julian, Makers of the New: The revolution in literature, 1912–1939. Andre Deutsch, 1987, ISBN 0-233-98007-5 Notes External links ;Poems *"Cezanne" at the Academy of American Poets * Alfred Kreymborg 1883-1966 at the Poetry Foundation *Alfred Kreymborg in The New Poetry: An anthology: "America," "Old Manuscript," "Cezanne," "Parasite" *Alfred Kreymborg at the PIP (Project for Innovative Poetry) Blog: profile & 9 poems *Alfred Kreymborg at Poets' Corner *Kreymborg in Poetry: A magazine of verse, 1912-1922: "Old Manuscript," "Love Was Dead All Day," "Lanes," "Again," "Courtship," "Sir Hobbledehoy," "1914," "Dirge," "When the Willow Nods," "Indian Sky," "Cradle," "To W.C.W.M.D.," "Spirit," "Pianissimo" * Alfred Kreymborg at PoemHunter (14 poems). ;Books *Alfred Kreymborg at the Online Books Page *Alfred Kreymborg at Amazon.com ;About *Alfred Kreymborg and Chess *"Human Being as Poet - Man and Shadow: An allegory reviewed by William Rose Benét Category:1883 births Category:1966 deaths Category:American poets Category:Imagists Category:American chess players Category:20th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:Modernist poets Category:Poets Category:American dramatists and playwrights Category:American magazine editors Category:American magazine founders